Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus in Africa
Africa: Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus was -307,088 t in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus in Africa, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in t.
Analysis
In 2023, nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus in Africa stood at -307,088 t.
That represents a change of up 2.0% on the previous year and down 25.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus in Africa peaked at 186,112 t in 1984 and was at its lowest, -372,039 t, in 2018.
That places Africa 28th out of 29 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus in Africa, year by year
| Year | t | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | -97,674 t | — |
| 1962 | -121,555 t | +24.4% |
| 1963 | -135,909 t | +11.8% |
| 1964 | -125,869 t | -7.4% |
| 1965 | -103,140 t | -18.1% |
| 1966 | -68,182 t | -33.9% |
| 1967 | -100,358 t | +47.2% |
| 1968 | -81,983 t | -18.3% |
| 1969 | -91,292 t | +11.4% |
| 1970 | -83,629 t | -8.4% |
| 1971 | -72,351 t | -13.5% |
| 1972 | -33,855 t | -53.2% |
| 1973 | 2,684 t | -107.9% |
| 1974 | -34,685 t | -1392.5% |
| 1975 | -1,338 t | -96.1% |
| 1976 | 25,923 t | -2037.7% |
| 1977 | 51,165 t | +97.4% |
| 1978 | 47,399 t | -7.4% |
| 1979 | 85,977 t | +81.4% |
| 1980 | 124,287 t | +44.6% |
| 1981 | 165,436 t | +33.1% |
| 1982 | 149,804 t | -9.4% |
| 1983 | 162,340 t | +8.4% |
| 1984 | 186,112 t | +14.6% |
| 1985 | 123,941 t | -33.4% |
| 1986 | 87,196 t | -29.6% |
| 1987 | 97,895 t | +12.3% |
| 1988 | 47,179 t | -51.8% |
| 1989 | 8,079 t | -82.9% |
| 1990 | 21,537 t | +166.6% |
| 1991 | -68,346 t | -417.3% |
| 1992 | -14,383 t | -79.0% |
| 1993 | -13,319 t | -7.4% |
| 1994 | -95,935 t | +620.3% |
| 1995 | -74,916 t | -21.9% |
| 1996 | -190,117 t | +153.8% |
| 1997 | -131,023 t | -31.1% |
| 1998 | -172,130 t | +31.4% |
| 1999 | -147,821 t | -14.1% |
| 2000 | -156,002 t | +5.5% |
| 2001 | -184,867 t | +18.5% |
| 2002 | -172,303 t | -6.8% |
| 2003 | -283,176 t | +64.3% |
| 2004 | -251,836 t | -11.1% |
| 2005 | -327,070 t | +29.9% |
| 2006 | -304,189 t | -7.0% |
| 2007 | -270,501 t | -11.1% |
| 2008 | -362,973 t | +34.2% |
| 2009 | -319,137 t | -12.1% |
| 2010 | -316,261 t | -0.9% |
| 2011 | -304,997 t | -3.6% |
| 2012 | -291,759 t | -4.3% |
| 2013 | -244,662 t | -16.1% |
| 2014 | -296,312 t | +21.1% |
| 2015 | -235,004 t | -20.7% |
| 2016 | -289,554 t | +23.2% |
| 2017 | -268,374 t | -7.3% |
| 2018 | -372,039 t | +38.6% |
| 2019 | -294,398 t | -20.9% |
| 2020 | -292,936 t | -0.5% |
| 2021 | -316,821 t | +8.2% |
| 2022 | -313,287 t | -1.1% |
| 2023 | -307,088 t | -2.0% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus in Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | +2037.7% | -1,338 t | 25,923 t |
| 1974 | -1392.5% | 2,684 t | -34,685 t |
| 1994 | -620.3% | -13,319 t | -95,935 t |
| 1991 | -417.3% | 21,537 t | -68,346 t |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -102,885 t | -135,909 t | -68,182 t | 9 |
| 1970s | -1,271 t | -83,629 t | 85,977 t | 10 |
| 1980s | 115,227 t | 8,079 t | 186,112 t | 10 |
| 1990s | -88,645 t | -190,117 t | 21,537 t | 10 |
| 2000s | -263,205 t | -362,973 t | -156,002 t | 10 |
| 2010s | -291,336 t | -372,039 t | -235,004 t | 10 |
| 2020s | -307,533 t | -316,821 t | -292,936 t | 4 |
Countries ranked near Africa
More environment data for Africa
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -7.12 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -7.93 Percentage change (2025)
- Temperature change 1.32 °C (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.213 °C (2025)
- Other industrial roundwood, non-coniferous (production) — Production 26.92 million m3 (2024)
- Primary wood and paper products (export/import) — Import value 11.21 million 1000 USD (2024)
- Industrial roundwood, non-coniferous — Production 66.41 million m3 (2024)
- Sawlogs and veneer logs — Production 39.12 million m3 (2024)
- Sawlogs and veneer logs, coniferous — Production 9.31 million m3 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus in Africa?
- Nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus in Africa was -307,088 t in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus recorded in Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 186,112 t in 1984.
- What is the lowest nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus recorded in Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was -372,039 t in 2018.
- How does Africa rank for nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus?
- Africa ranks 28th out of 29 groups with data for 2023.
- Is nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus rising or falling in Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
The Cropland Nutrient balance domain contains information on the flows of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium from mineral fertilizer, manure applied, atmospheric deposition, crop removal, and biological fixation over cropland and per unit area of cropland. The flows are aggregated to total inputs and total outputs, from which the overall nutrient balance and nutrient use efficiency on cropland are calculated. Statistics are disseminated in units of tonnes and in kg/ha, as appropriate. Nutrient use efficiency is expressed as a fraction (%).